Teen runaways seem to be very common, some think about it and others act on it. Some go to a friends house and spend a few nights wanting to make a point. But for others it is not quite as simple and can have life long ramifications for them and later future generations.
Anyone that has experienced a teen runaway, knows that immediate feeling of emptiness, loss and the question of safety. My son ran from home once and that was all it took for me to know that I never wanted that to happen again. The thoughts and fears that ran through my head were overwhelming. Why do teens run away? Some feel misunderstood, most feel desperate, the pains may be to deep to communicate, they need attention, worst are those that have been severly abused and do not have a home they feel safe to return. They may come from troubled families and often have histories of truancy. The teens in most trouble typically run away from home after being sexually abused and are victims that face increased risks of being battered or killed.
When my teen ran away it was all I could imagine that he would be swept up into a world of drugs and abuse. Female teen runaways may end up as child prostitutes, and remains a growing problem across the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identifed that child prostitution is especially high in tourist and convention cities and has named 14 cities with the biggest problems one being Atlanta.
Most teens reported as runaways do turn up or return home after a few days, and some will do it again and again. But for those that remain missing who is speaking up for them? When do authorities reach the conclusions they do about kids reported missing and when to look for them. What kind of systems do we have in place to stop the trafficing of young adolescents?
Even though we reported our son missing, personally I could not wait for the police to help. My husband and I took turns driving around town, we were lucky to have found him at the transit center, after a tip from one of his friends. I never would have thought to look at the transit center, but according to this friend that is where all the runaways go.
The biggest fear with teen runaways is that they will get into the wrong hands, as quoted at a news conference by Ernie Allen president and chief executive of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children ,
“child trafficking for the purpose of prostitution is organized criminal activity using kids as commodities for sale and trade. These kids are victims. They lack the ability to walk away.”
Even though most teen runaways are managed, for those that are not treatment programs need to be expanded especially for sexually exploited children and more important, we need to broaden community-based prevention programs that spot and help troubled children before they end up selling their bodies on the streets.
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